A method for processing natural or synthetic leather by using super-critical CO.sub.2. The leather can be dried leather, low grade leathers, thin leather, crust leathers, finished leathers, wet blue leathers, and tanned leather, as well as synthetic leather. In a second aspect the invention relates to leather obtained by said method, and in a third aspect to a stand-alone apparatus for performing said method.

A method for processing natural or synthetic leather by using super-critical CO.sub.2. The leather can be dried leather, low grade leathers, thin leather, crust leathers, finished leathers, wet blue leathers, and tanned leather, as well as synthetic leather. In a second aspect the invention relates to leather obtained by said method, and in a third aspect to a stand-alone apparatus for performing said method.

The invention relates to a microemulsion comprising water in an amount of 1-30 w %; sodium or potassium oleate, Na/K salts of tall oil fatty acid, and/or Na/K salts of C16-C18 saturated or unsaturated fatty acids in an amount of 10-40 w %; oleic acid, tall oil fatty acid, or C16-C18 saturated or unsaturated fatty acids in an amount of 2-40 w %; ethanol in an amount of 0-40 w %; glycerol in an amount of 5-40 w %; and liquid hydrocarbon(s) in an amount of 5-40 w %, up to a maximum or total of components parts of 100 w %. Moreover, methods of manufacture and uses of the microemulsion are disclosed.

The invention relates to a microemulsion comprising water in an amount of 1-30 w %; sodium or potassium oleate, Na/K salts of tall oil fatty acid, and/or Na/K salts of C16-C18 saturated or unsaturated fatty acids in an amount of 10-40 w %; oleic acid, tall oil fatty acid, or C16-C18 saturated or unsaturated fatty acids in an amount of 2-40 w %; ethanol in an amount of 0-40 w %; glycerol in an amount of 5-40 w %; and liquid hydrocarbon(s) in an amount of 5-40 w %, up to a maximum or total of components parts of 100 w %. Moreover, methods of manufacture and uses of the microemulsion are disclosed.

A cationic cyanuric chloride derivative tanning agent and a preparation method thereof are disclosed. The method includes: mixing 9.22-36.88 parts of cyanuric chloride, 21.35-100.31 parts of a solvent, and 7.12-33.44 parts of deionized water, all by mass, in an ice-water bath to obtain a mixture A; at a temperature of 0-5° C., adding 2.98-20.44 parts of a tertiary ammonia compound to the mixture A, and subjecting the resulting mixture to a reaction for 4-6 hours, during which its pH value is adjusted with an acid-binding agent solution to 6.0-7.0, to obtain a mixture B; filtering the mixture B, washing the filter cake, and vacuum drying for 4-6 h to obtain a solid C, and grinding to obtain the cationic cyanuric chloride derivative tanning agent.

A tanning agent-free leather making method is provided. A raw hide is subjected to controllable dehydration with a molecular sieve-polar organic solvent composite dehydration media to achieve a dehydrated hide, and then a tanning agent-free leather is prepared by increasing the surface roughness of the dehydrated hide and reducing the surface energy of the dehydrated hide. The present disclosure does not use any metal or non-metal tanning agent, which is eco-friendly. The present disclosure breaks the balance of water distribution between the raw hide and the polar organic solvent, which realizes a multi-medium self-driven directional controllable dehydration of the raw hide, effectively solving the problems during dehydration of the raw hide only using polar organic solvent. The molecular sieve-polar organic solvent dehydration system is easy to recover and can be recycled for the controllable dehydration of the raw hide multiple times. Therefore, a brand-new clean leather making technology is provided.

A recycling process for achieving near-zero emissions of tannery effluent is characterized in that effluent recycling is carried out independently in soaking, liming, re-liming, de-liming bating, pickling chrome tanning, re-tanning, neutralizing, and dyeing procedures. The effluents in the above procedures can be recycled in each step. This process greatly reduces effluent discharge and helps solve the problem of tanning pollution. The process also improves the quality of the finished leather, effectively decreases loose grain rate and increases compactness and fullness of the finished product. The project can reduce chemical material consumption by 15%-55%. For example, the consumption of chromium powder can be reduced up to 65%. Consumption of other chemical materials can be reduced by more than 90%, while certain chemical materials can be essentially completely conserved.

A recycling process for achieving near-zero emissions of tannery effluent is characterized in that effluent recycling is carried out independently in soaking, liming, re-liming, de-liming bating, pickling chrome tanning, re-tanning, neutralizing, and dyeing procedures. The effluents in the above procedures can be recycled in each step. This process greatly reduces effluent discharge and helps solve the problem of tanning pollution. The process also improves the quality of the finished leather, effectively decreases loose grain rate and increases compactness and fullness of the finished product. The project can reduce chemical material consumption by 15%-55%. For example, the consumption of chromium powder can be reduced up to 65%. Consumption of other chemical materials can be reduced by more than 90%, while certain chemical materials can be essentially completely conserved.

The present disclosure provides a composition for treating leather and similar materials. The composition comprises from about 40% (w/w) to about 60% (w/w) of an oil obtained from natural sources; from about 1% (w/w) to about 15% (w/w) of a wax obtained from natural sources; and from about 20% (w/w) to about 50% (w/w) of water. The present disclosure also provides a method for treating a leather article and a process for the preparation of an emulsion composition.

The invention is directed to a method for producing a composite material comprising a biofabricated material and a secondary component. The secondary component may be a porous material, such as a sheet of paper, cellulose, or fabric that has been coated or otherwise contacted with the biofabricated material. The biofabricated material comprises a uniform network of crosslinked collagen fibrils and provides strength, elasticity and an aesthetic appearance to the composite material.